1. Field
This disclosure relates to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard for handling, storing, printing, transmitting, and distributing medical imaging information and, more specifically, to encrypting DICOM volumes and accessing encrypted DICOM volumes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are computers or networks dedicated to the storage, retrieval, distribution, and presentation of medical data. For example, PACS are frequently used to store medical image data in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format, which is a standard for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting medical images. DICOM provides a standardized file format and network communications protocol. The communication protocol is an application protocol that uses TCP/IP to communicate between systems. DICOM is prevalent because it enables the integration of modalities, such as scanners, servers, workstations, printers, and network hardware from multiple manufacturers into a PACS.
Certain PACS comprise systems for recording medical data such as medical images onto removable media. These portable digital recording media offer a number of advantages to users, such as allowing users to access their medical data from home, conveniently transporting medical data to a new physician or to a specialist, and the like. However, these media are vulnerable to theft, loss, copying, etc. Part Ten (10) (“Part 10”) of the DICOM standard has attempted to define systems for creating secure (e.g., encrypted) volumes for storing medical data. Part 10 of the Standard advantageously permits a user via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to select one or more patients, studies, series, or images for which associated images will be written and/or labeled into one or more encrypted volumes using different types of applicable media (e.g., Blu-ray, CD, DVD, memory stick, USB flash drive, etc.). However, a significant problem remains in that a person desiring to access the stored medical data may not remember or know the key (e.g., password) for “unlocking” encrypted medical data.
Accordingly, there is a need for an encrypted digital DICOM data management system which reduces access time and which requires less intervention by medical facility personnel.